I remember meeting Bob Salvatore at a Joseph Beth Booksellers about a hundred years ago. He novels were transformative for and I absolutely loved him. He gave a talk, answered some questions, then signed some autographs. We talked about Drizzt (his main character) and about writing. I got some of the best advice I've ever received, he signed my book, and I left.

What struck me was how normal he was. Apart from his Bostonian accent, he was interested in some of the things I liked and he seemed to put his pants on one leg at a time. But once his pants were on he wrote NY Times Best Sellers.

It was odd to have the deific image I had of what a famous author would be like deflated. No way he could have lived up to the image I had built in my mind, and that's a good thing. It's easy to put people to we admire on a pedestal, but it isn't healthy. I had stopped writing before I met R.A. Salvatore because there was so much imagined space between me and that goal.

I've been known to play a game or two in my day. One of the content creators I follow for a certain game is starting his own gaming studio. As they build their first game, they are offering their followers unprecedented access to the process. All the failures and mistakes. Everything. It's not only refreshing, it's captivating. Go check out Fateless Games on Discord.

I say all these things because, while I am not remotely in the same league as Bob Salvatore, I've met a few people at signings and trade shows who are a little star-struck. To be honest, it's kind of weird. I love talking books to people, but when they start quoting Anuka and asking if Ember and Yondi are gonna make it... it's a strange feeling.

If you could see any author, who would it be? Or maybe you have a cool author experience you'd like to share. Hit me up: jack@authorjackadkins.com

Progress

Edits are rolling along. The problem with edits is they generate changes. That's ok. My skin has thickened over the years. I'll be fine... Really...

I was gonna post a little snipper from an old story but my website is broken. Grrr. Next time.

Some FREE Stuff